


Take Two Bond

by buttsbeyondbutts



Series: TAZ [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, Feels, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Platonic Sex, Taagnitz if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 19:37:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16687672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttsbeyondbutts/pseuds/buttsbeyondbutts
Summary: Fisher could only erase what Lucretia knew about.Magnus and Taako had a couple secrets.





	Take Two Bond

Magnus woke to a new weight on his chest, the scent of jasmine in his nose. “Taako?”

“Go back to sleep.” Taako said. He’d curled on top of Magnus, like a cat, and pulled the blanket over the two of them. He held tight to his friend’s PJs.

“Okay.” Magnus agreed with a yawn. He wrapped his arms around Taako and rolled onto his side, fast asleep.

The next thing he heard was his name- or a variation there of- whispered close enough that he could feel the breath on his face. “Mags? You gotta let me up, bubala. I gotta make breakfast.”

“Wan’ny help?” Magnus mumbled, not opening his eyes.

“Nah, hon, I got it.”

“Kay,” he pulled his arms back and rolled away. He barely heard Taako slip out of his room.

* * *

It wasn’t every night. Every night would be insane, cloying and sentimental- everything Taako wasn’t. He could handle being alone. He’d been alone often enough, even before Lup started spending most of her nights in Barry’s quarters. He even liked solitude on his own terms. Alone wasn’t a problem. Loneliness? Loneliness he couldn’t bear.

This cycle was hard. A hunk of ice on the gravel of many hard cycles. They’d lost Merle to John in the first month, then Davenport not long after, in pursuit of The Light. They found the blasted thing eventually, nearly losing Magnus and Lup in the process. Perhaps that was why Barry became somehow more devoted as the cycle continued. Despite his natural petulance, Taako didn’t begrudge Lup and Barry. They deserved some happiness after everything they’d lost- Lup most of all.

But so did Taako, and if happiness couldn’t come, he’d take his comfort where he could.

Enter Magnus. Magnus was comfort personified. He never once questioned Taako’s appearance in his bed. Often, he didn’t even wake up- just wrapped him up in those big arms and held on tight.

And Taako felt safe.

* * *

“I think we’re safe,” Magnus said. He grinned into the snow storm. He tugged his jacket tight, without bothering to zip it. “Can you like- force field the entrance to keep ‘em out?”

“Yeah,” Taako pulled his hat back on. “Just had to rush in, didn’t you?”

Magnus chuckled. “Don’t front, T. You were itching for a fight.”

“Taako has better things to do than antagonize snow monsters.” He finished the spell, blocking the winds and snow. “That oughta hold for the night.”

“Cool,” Magnus said, a little breathless. He sat down heavily in the snow.

“How’s your head?” Taako knelt in front of him, pushing thick black hair out of his face.

“It’ll be fine,” Magnus said.

“Didn’t ask how it would be, did I, kitten?” Taako frowned. “Asked how it is.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding.” He sighed and reached into his purse. “Think I’ve got a potion in here.”

“Head wounds always bleed like crazy. It’s not a big deal.” Magnus flushed a little as Taako retrieved the bottle. “Don’t waste a potion.”

“You’re not a waste, Magnus.” Taako said. Magnus blinked back at him. Taako shoved the potion into his chest. “Drink.”

Magnus drank. “I’m just gonna reset in the next cycle.” He said, wiping the last of the pink liquid from his lips. “I’d’ve been fine in a couple of days- a week max.”

“So, you admit you weren’t fine.” Taako cleared the snow from around Magnus and sat next to him, draping his shawl between them.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, big guy, you protected me.” Magnus slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. Taako chuckled, summoning a small fire to the center of the cave. The light danced over the low hanging stalactites, illuminating shiny gold quartz in the blue marble.

Taako could feel Magnus looking at him. “What?”

“I just really wanna kiss you.”

Any one else and Taako would have turned it into a joke. _“Of course, you do, baby. Everybody wants a taste of this Taaco treat."_ He’d lament loudly about the “curse” of his beauty and make a huge show of how he couldn’t play favorites.

This was Magnus though. So Taako kissed him. Magnus didn’t move at first, just let Taako kiss him, curling his long fingers into his thick tangled hair. Then his arm slipped around Taako’s waist. His lips were chapped because of course they were. His beard scratched against Taako’s skin. His fingers, as they glanced over his skin with shocking grace, were rough and calloused and… gods, had they been broken before?

“You’re really soft,” Magnus said with a small gasp.

“Yeah, bud, I know.”

Magnus kissed him again. And again. And again.

Taako pressed Magnus down on to the blue marble floor. The fire was bright and warm, heating the cave around them. Magnus fumbled a little with Taako’s belt. “I got it, big guy.” He removed the studded garment with a flourish. Magnus just stared at him. “We doin’ this or what?”

Magnus blinked. “Yeah, yeah, sorry.” There was that blush again. “It’s just been like… thirty years for me so?”

“Don’t worry about it.” With a wave of his fingers, their clothes were gone. Taako took a brief moment to appreciate the view. He’d seen Magnus naked before, of course. With seven people on a ship with two bathrooms, you end up seeing plenty. Plus, after sixty odd cycles, modesty kind of flew out the window. Not that either Magnus or Taako had much to start with.

But he’d never seen Magnus like this, sprawled beneath him, hesitant and anticipatory. As The Hunger drained this world’s color, Magnus shone.

The fighter arched his hips, raising that sweet ass in the air. “Please, Taako.”

“Yeah,” Taako smiled. He snapped his fingers, transmuting a bit of air into lube. Magnus keened as Taako slid his fingers inside. “Let’s get it on, hon.”

* * *

They woke up on the Starblaster, fully clothed and surrounded by their family. Taako stared up at the clear orange sky, sun warming his skin. He could hear the hushed voices of Lup and Barry, talking beside him.

“Hey, sleepy head,” his sister leaned over him, “got yourself killed out there, huh?”

“Yeah, you know, hunger. Snow.” Taako sat up. Magnus was next to him. Of course, he was. Taako was actually surprised they hadn’t woken up entwined. Magnus rubbed his black eye, reborn in the new cycle. His fingers were fixed again, strong and capable. Lucretia handed him a mug of something steaming.

“Is Fisher okay?” He asked before he drank.

“Fisher’s fine,” Lucretia assured him. She handed another mug to Taako. Coffee with generous helpings of cream and sugar. _Nice._ Then Magnus looked at Taako and grinned, downing his own coffee in a single gulp.

Davenport clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Okay, gang, now that every one’s up and recovered, Merle has some more intel about The Hunger.”

The next few hours were taken up with reports of the latest cycle and planning their moves for the next one. Taako left the liaison of their final night out of his report and Magnus did the same. Good. If Lup got to keep secrets, so did he.

This new world was pretty chill according to Lucretia, who Davenport had sent down to gather more supplies. It was sparsely populated, largely agrarian and communist with some forbidden deserts controlled by warlords. Magnus perked up at that and Taako could guess how his year was going to be spent.

First though, he had to visit the Voidfish and feed it a couple of stories. Taako peeked in to say hi to the little guy, then positioned himself firmly in Magnus’s quarters, sitting on the idiot’s enormous battle ax.

After a couple hours, Magnus returned. “Oh.” He blinked at Taako. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Taako said. “So…”

“So last night was a lot of fun,” Taako braced himself for the rejection he’d heard often enough, “and anytime you wanna… do it again, I am down.”

 _Oh._ “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Magnus grinned, scratching the back of his head. “I am into it. Obviously, yeah.”

“Yeah, no, a hundred percent, me too.” Taako nodded, “but we shouldn’t tell anyone.”

Magnus laughed. “Nooo, I wanted to brag!”

“Yeah, obviously, you wanna lord it over everyone. I get it.” Taako grinned. “But technically we still work together.”

“Yeah, I don’t wanna deal with HR.”

“That Susan’s a bitch.”

Magnus laughed again. “You wanna come fight some warlords with me.”

“Yeah, sure, let’s do it, Kemosabe!” Taako stood up, smoothing out his skirt as Magnus grabbed his ax.

* * *

ROUGHLY FIFTY YEARS LATER

Magnus took a moment. In between the parades and arguments and parties and explanations and drinking, Magnus took a moment. He sat back on the grass and looked up at the stars. Stars that weren’t eyes and never would be again. Somewhere up in that inky black, Fisher and Junior swam together, reunited just like he promised.

Julia’s voice still rang in his ears. _You done good, Magnus Burnsides. A little reckless but good._

Magnus let out a long breath. _What now?_

As if in answer, Kravitz waved as he walked towards him. “Mind if I join you, Magnus?”

“No, not at all. Have a seat.” Kravitz sat, a little awkward with his cloak. “Don’t you usually have an accent?”

“Yeah,” Kravitz chuckled. “I’m not working right now.”

“Cool.” Magnus nodded, patting his knees and whistling for no discernable reason.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. “So,” Kravitz said. “Taako… told me about you and him… before-”

“Oh god was that in the song?!” Magnus flushed bright red.

“No! No, he just told me!” Kravitz said quickly.

“Oh, thank god!”

“Yeah, you’re good.”

“I just didn’t want the whole world to see me. I mean like there were kids seeing that and I know some of them.”

“No, no, you’re good.” Kravitz said. “Taako just… he wanted to be honest with me, since you guys are still friends and everything.”

“Yeah, I mean we weren’t ever not friends- except I guess the ten years I didn’t know who he was-”

“Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that-”

“I mean I love Taako and we did a buncha stuff that I don’t do with any of my other friends, but we weren’t like… dating or anything-”

“It’s okay, Magnus.”

“And I got married when I didn’t remember anything-”

“To Julia, I know.”

“And I’m still married, obviously, and Taako’s really, really happy with you- like happier than I ever saw him, in a century-”

“That’s good to hear-”

“So, you don’t have anything to worry about with me and him.”

“I wasn’t worried Magnus,” Kravitz smiled softly. “I wanted to ask… it wasn’t in the song, so I have to assume that the Voidfish-”

“Fisher.”

“That Fisher didn’t erase those particular memories.”

Magnus nodded. “We didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t anyway. Taako might’ve but no, they didn’t get erased.”

Kravitz nodded. “So… when you met him again, didn’t you recognize him?”

Magnus shrugged. “I mean it wasn’t erased but that doesn’t mean I remembered all the time. There was a lot of stuff going on and I take a lot of blows to the head.”

Kravitz chuckled. “So, when you met again-”

“Well,” Magnus smiled. “Taako always makes an impression.”

That didn’t really cover it though, did it? Magnus had been… stunned by Taako. He was easily one of the most beautiful person Magnus had ever seen, second only to Julia on their wedding day. He’d been wearing a baby blue tunic and sparkling capris. His elbow rested on Merle’s head as he read the Craig’s List advert. Magnus thought he could never feel something like that again, after Julia, certainly not so instantly, but there he was. It was terrifying how easily he could picture this elf pressed against him, whispering his name.

“Magnus?”

“I did…” Magnus took in a long cool breath. “I did remember him, but I didn’t have any- what? Context for them? So, they didn’t really register as memories, I guess?”  

“What did you think they were?” Kravitz didn’t sound angry. His voice was soft, understanding and kind. Magnus wondered if that was the voice he used to shepherd lost souls, the ones who didn’t break the Raven Queen’s law.

“Fantasies.” Magnus said. “You’ve seen Taako. It’s not that farfetched, but I’m married, and I can’t- I’m not gonna betray my wife.”

Kravitz nodded. “I believe you, Magnus.” He smiled up at the stars. “I told Taako that I loved him, before you defeated The Hunger, and nothing could change that fact. I don’t know if he believed me- he kind of turned it into a joke- but you, Magnus? I think you understand exactly what I meant.”

Magnus wiped a heavy tear with the back of his wrist. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” He took a deep breath, very glad that no one else could see him. “You are weirdly easy to talk to, Kravitz.”

The Reaper closed his eyes. “My job is primarily listening. Thank you for indulging me.”

“We cool?”

“Of course.”

“Good, because I don’t think I can punch for another month at least.”

Kravitz laughed. “Well, I should be getting back. Care to join us?”

Magnus looked back at the tavern where their friends had settled in for the evening. Taako leaned against the door frame, uncharacteristically awkward. He looked away the minute their eyes met, suddenly fascinated by the hanging eaves. Magnus smiled. “Sounds good.”

He followed Kravitz back down to the bar. 

  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I hope that was good.  
> Please give me a nice comment and thanks for reading!


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